GTA devs: open world existed because 'we didn't want to build a front end'

At a GTA Origins panel in Dundee, DMA Design veterans said the original Grand Theft Auto was meant to be linear with missions chosen from a menu. The open world emerged because the team didn't want to build a front-end, and the mission phones were inspired by Die Hard with a Vengeance.

• GTA was originally a linear game with missions picked from a menu
• The open world was made to avoid building a front-end menu
• Mission phones were inspired by Die Hard with a Vengeance
• Nintendo passed on the game; Miyamoto later joked it was a mistake